


'Til the Daylight Comes

by GotTheSilver



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), F/M, Getting Together, Happy Steve Bingo, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-31 01:15:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21031631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotTheSilver/pseuds/GotTheSilver
Summary: As he turns to leave he hears Tony calling after him, and he ignores it, uncomfortable with—well.  With Tony.  Not because of what he’d been saying, but because he liked it.  Because something about knowing that Tony notices him stirred something inside Steve.But Tony’s with Pepper.And that’s.That’s fine.





	'Til the Daylight Comes

**Author's Note:**

> au post a1 because why not.
> 
> happy steve bingo square loyalty/devotion.
> 
> title stolen from damn, I wish I was your lover

“Are SHIELD keeping you prisoner in here? Because you do know there’s a room for you at the tower, right?”

Steve steps back from the door to his quarters to let Tony in before he attempts to barrel right through him. “They’re not keeping me prisoner,” he says, although he’s not entirely sure about that. He hasn’t exactly tried to go anywhere, and even though he knows he could physically best anyone that tries to stop him, he’s seen enough to know that he doesn’t want to be on the bad side of SHIELD without good reason.

“You don’t sound convinced,” Tony says, raising an eyebrow as he presses something on his phone. “There, surveillance is off, you can talk freely.”

“I didn’t know they were—” Steve breaks off and blinks. “That seems illegal.”

“Rule of thumb for this century? Always assume you’re being watched. So, room at the tower? Yes, no?”

“I thought the tower got destroyed.”

“Some of it did,” Tony admits. “But I’m working on it. You’ll get a floor when I’m done, everyone will, actually, if they want. Bruce was staying, but he’s visiting our offices in India, wants to see what SI can do to help out with the work he was doing before he got dragged into this mess.”

“Is he coming back?” Steve asks.

“Eventually. He’ll get a floor as well.”

“Okay. What do I need a floor for?”

“Your stuff,” Tony says, looking around. “Which you... don’t have. Huh.”

Steve shifts uncomfortably as he follows Tony’s gaze around his quarters. There’s some books, a SHIELD issued tablet which he doesn’t enjoy using, along with some clothes in the drawers and basic toiletries. “I guess I haven’t really—” Steve shrugs. “It hasn’t been a priority.”

“Cap—”

“Steve—”

“_Cap_,” Tony stresses, a weird look in his eye. “There’s room at the tower. It’s free room and board, best views in the city, any of this appealing to you?”

Sitting on the edge of his thin mattress, Steve rubs a hand over his face. “You know when I woke up?”

“Yeah,” Tony says, sitting next to him. “Not even two months ago. Guessing you’re still adjusting. You know, technically we own you, right?”

“Excuse me?” Steve looks at Tony, eyebrows raised in horror.

“Not in—fuck. Because of Howard, Stark Industries technically can lay claim to you, if you’re worried about SHIELD not letting you leave.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

“Because you’re not going to move in?”

“Because I think Fury knows trying to stop me from doing something is futile.”

The tiny, almost proud, smile that Tony gives him isn’t exactly what makes up Steve’s mind, but it doesn’t hurt.

*

The tower is in shambles, the broken glass has been cleaned up but there’s large holes in the side of the building that are covered with plastic sheeting. Entire areas are roped off, and Steve keeps bumping into people who salute him nervously before running away. The living quarters are mostly intact, but there’s not the quarters for team yet that Tony’s planning on building, so he’s sharing space with Tony and Pepper which is—.

He forgets, sometimes, that people get to have lives. Forgets that not everything is war and violence.

Steve forgets because he still doesn’t know if he’s ever going to be able to have that kind of life.

“Will you please tell people to stop saluting me?” Steve asks when he sees Tony in the kitchen fiddling with the coffee maker. “It’s embarrassing and unnecessary.”

“Like I have control over the people in this building,” Tony says without looking up. “You want that, you have to talk to Pepper.”

“Miss Potts has an entire company to run,” Steve says, opening the fridge and taking out the freshly squeezed OJ that’s always there. “She doesn’t need to—”

“Please tell me you call her Miss Potts to her face,” Tony interrupts. “I want to see that.”

“Tony—”

“Look, Cap, I really don’t have control over the staff for SI, she’s CEO now. Though technically staffing is to do with HR, not that I ever wanted to deal with HR, and—anyway, yes, people are saluting you because they don’t know what to do with you.”

Steve’s slightly stung and he leans against the counter. “To do with... they don’t have to—”

“It’s a respect thing,” Tony says, looking up, his tone softer. “They would’ve grown up hearing stories about you, the legend, and then you helped save the city. They’re in awe, Cap, and then they see you coming in from a run all sweaty? Stopping in the same Starbucks they get their morning caffeine fix from? They don’t know how to deal.”

“What should I do?”

“Nothing,” Tony says. “It’ll wear off, but if you want to stop the saluting then definitely talk to Pepper, she’ll put an end to it.”

“I don’t want to bother—”

“She’s dealt with me for years,” Tony says with a small smile. “Trust me, you won’t be a bother. More like a reward, if we’re being honest.”

“What?”

“Do you own any shirts that fit?”

Steve looks down at himself and frowns. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything. I never really thought about—”

“Whether people can count your abs through your shirt?”

“Tony.”

“I mean I’m not complaining,” Tony says, going back to the coffee maker. “Always good to have eye candy around the home.” He pauses, screwdriver in one hand and looks up. “Is that offensive? Should I be apologising for offending your delicate sensibilities?”

“I’m not that delicate,” Steve says, hoping his face isn’t as red as it feels. “Just—can JARVIS let me know when Miss Potts is home?” He looks at the OJ and shakes his head, putting it back in the fridge. As he turns to leave he hears Tony calling after him, and he ignores it, uncomfortable with—well. With Tony. Not because of what he’d been saying, but because he liked it. Because something about knowing that Tony notices him stirred something inside Steve.

But Tony’s with Pepper.

And that’s.

That’s fine.

*

Steve showers and gets changed into a loose pair of sweatpants that have the Stark Industries logo plastered along the leg and a tank top. Stretching out on the couch in his room with a book, he gets lost in the words and is almost done with it by the time JARVIS gently interrupts to tell him Pepper’s home. Asking JARVIS if Pepper can meet him in the kitchen in an hour and hearing that she will, Steve settles back down to finish the book.

Pepper’s already in the kitchen when Steve makes his way there, she’s wearing the same kind of sweatpants he’s in, and a t-shirt with an unfamiliar name across it that’s a little large for her, so he assumes it’s Tony’s. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun on her head and she’s got a kettle on the stove. She looks peaceful, and for a moment, Steve pauses in the doorway just watching her move with ease in the space.

“Miss Potts?” Steve steps into the kitchen as she turns at the sound of his voice. “Thank you for—”

“Pepper, please. Or else I’ll be forced to call you Captain, and I don’t think either of us want that.”

Steve laughs, ducking his head. “Pepper, then. Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Steve, you don’t—” she breaks off, hearing the kettle go. “Shoot, you want some tea?”

“Uh, sure,” he says, scratching the back of his head as he takes a seat on one of the stools by the breakfast nook. “What kind?”

“Oh, it’s just a peppermint blend, but I have others if—”

“No, don’t trouble yourself,” Steve says, watching her nimble hands measuring out the loose tea. “I’ll try it.”

“Great,” she says with a pleased smile. “Now, you don’t have to thank me for this,” she continues as the tea brews. “You’re living here, and Tony—I—_we_ want you to feel at home.”

Steve sighs, tracing patterns on the surface of the counter. “I haven’t had a home since before the war,” he says absently. “I don’t know much about what one feels like.”

There’s the soft clatter of mugs, the sound of liquid flowing, and then Pepper’s pressing a warm SI mug into his hands, her fingers lingering over his. “The only home I’ve really known is with Tony,” she says. “But I can imagine that his version of a home is a little strange for you.”

“I went from SHIELD, to battle, to here,” Steve says, savouring the warmth. “Everything’s strange.”

Pepper smiles, leaning forward against the counter. “What did you want to ask me?”

“Oh,” Steve says, taking a sip of tea. “It’s nothing, just—people in the building salute me? Not all of them, but enough that it’s—”

“Freaking you out?”

“It’s uncomfortable,” Steve says. “I don’t know if you can make them stop, or tell them they don’t have to, I’m happy to talk to people, I just—” he breaks off and looks down at the mug. “I never dealt well with that side of things. Captain America isn’t me—I mean it is me, but it’s not—”

“It’s okay,” Pepper interrupts. “I know the difference between a public face and who someone actually is. How do you think I’ve worked with Tony all these years?”

Steve takes that in, his hands still being warmed by the mug, and nods. “That makes a lot of sense,” he says. “Where is he? I mean—”

“Workshop,” Pepper says easily. “He’s working on your suit, actually.”

“He—what? I didn’t—”

“You’ll get used to it,” she says, opening a drawer and pulling out some takeout menus. “But him being occupied means I get to decide what’s for dinner, do you want to help?”

“I don’t know that I’ll be much help,” Steve says, as she lays out the different coloured menus in front of him. “I haven’t tried much modern food.”

“Well then,” Pepper says. “I guess we’ve got an excuse to order everything.”

Steve thought Pepper was joking, but the amount of food that turns up at the tower is more than excessive. There’s food he’s never even heard of, and he tentatively loads his plate up with familiar food, and a few new things, while Pepper goes to get Tony out of the workshop.

“Oh hey, food,” Tony says when he arrives, slipping into a seat opposite Steve and grabbing a carton, digging a pair of chopsticks in and pulling out noodles. “Hey Cap, settling in?”

“Trying to,” Steve says around a mouthful of mac and cheese. “It’d help if you’d call me Steve. Unless you want me to start calling you Mr Stark?”

There’s a bolt of laughter from Pepper as an indecipherable look crosses Tony’s face; Steve raises an eyebrow and tries not to notice the slight flush on Tony’s cheeks as he nods. “No,” Tony mutters. “Definitely wouldn’t want that. Okay. Steve.”

And maybe asking for that was a mistake because the way his name plays across Tony’s mouth is sinful, makes Steve shift in his seat as he reaches for a carton that has some kind of meat in it. Pepper’s watching him, her gaze flitting across his face, and she offers him an amused smile before she picks up some shrimp in a crispy batter and bites into it.

Steve eats more than Tony and Pepper combined, and he appreciates that neither of them comment on it, don’t look at him strangely like people in the mess hall at SHIELD did; they just hand him things to try, telling him JARVIS will keep a note of what he likes and what he doesn’t. That would feel intrusive from anyone else, but from them it just feels—. It feels like they care, and Steve doesn’t quite know what to make of that. Doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve being welcomed into their home.

They migrate to the cinema room—Steve doesn’t really know what else to call it, all that’s in there is a giant screen, a mini fridge, and comfortable seating. Pepper and Tony push him into the middle of the couch and he’s so satiated from the food and the cosy feeling of belonging that he lets them, a coil of warmth in his chest when they sit either side of him. Tony mumbles something to JARVIS—Steve’s too distracted by Pepper resting her head on his shoulder to pay attention—and then a movie starts playing on the screen. Steve tries to concentrate on it, he does, but fifteen minutes in, Tony shifts on the couch and puts his feet in Steve’s lap, pulling a tablet out from god knows where. Between Pepper leaning against him, laughing softly at the movie, and Tony absently pressing his feet against Steve’s thigh every so often, he’s slowly drowning in a sensation of bewilderment.

It’s not—.

This shouldn’t—.

“Hey,” Pepper says quietly, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking at him. “Steve? Are you okay?”

“I—”

“You’re tense,” she says, her face so close to his, eyes that feel like they can see into his soul and Steve _can’t_, he just can’t.

“I should go,” he says, pushing Tony’s feet from his lap and standing up. “I—I’ll see you in the morning. Or not, I don’t—” he stops talking and turns on his heel, walking as fast as he can and ignoring Pepper and Tony both calling after him.

*

Steve doesn’t go to sleep when he gets to his room, stays awake for hours with a sketchbook and a pencil, trying to lose himself in capturing his memories. The curve of Peggy’s mouth, Dum Dum’s drunken grin, the USO girls smoking backstage before a show, but halfway through the night he realises he’s sketching the messiness of Tony’s hair, Pepper’s long legs, and—.

He throws the pencil down and buries his face in his hands.

“Captain Rogers, you may like to know that Sir is pacing outside your door,” JARVIS says quietly.

Steve lifts his head, instinctively staring at the ceiling. “I—did he ask you to tell me that?”

“He did not.”

Closing the sketchbook and putting it on his bedside table, Steve takes a breath and gets up. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he walks over and opens the door to see Tony as JARVIS said, pacing up and down and muttering to himself.

“Tony?”

Tony jumps, running his hands through his hair as he looks at Steve. “Uh, hi.”

“Why are you—I mean it’s your tower, but—” Steve shifts from foot to foot. “Is there a reason you’re outside my room?”

“I—uh—” Tony stammers, sticking his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. “I’m sorry?”

“Is that a question?”

“Well I don’t really know what I’m apologising for,” Tony says. “But the way you ran off makes me think I did something.”

“No,” Steve says. “No, Tony, you didn’t. It’s me. I’m still trying to understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Why you did this. Why you’re letting me stay here, why you’re involving me in your life, in yours and Pepper’s life, I—” Steve breaks off and shrugs. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

Tony’s mouth parts and he scrubs a hand over his face. “I—_Steve_—there’s no reason,” Tony says.

“Oh, I—”

“No, I—” Tony holds a hand up. “Wait, I don’t mean that in a dismissive way, I mean—look, you went from the army to fighting for SHIELD, right? You’ve always had to be Captain America, you haven’t had much of a choice in that, and I—that’s really shitty, Steve. Really shitty. Take it from the man who spent decades trying to figure out his life and still hasn’t managed it, you need a break.”

Steve leans back against the wall and feels himself deflate, his shoulders slumping. “Tony, I’m sorry for—I didn’t mean to assume that—” he breaks off and sighs. “You’re right.”

“Gonna savour you saying that,” Tony says with a smile. “I don’t think it’ll happen again. Pepper would like to take you to the Guggenheim tomorrow, if you’d like to go?”

“I’d like that,” Steve says tentatively. “You could join us, if—”

“Not really my thing. Trust me, you’ll have a better time with Pepper, but—” Tony pauses and meets Steve’s eyes. “I could find something else for us to do, if you—you don’t have to spend time with me if you don’t want, but—”

“I’d like that,” Steve interrupts. “To do something with you, that is.”

“Oh, okay.” Tony ducks his head, but not before Steve sees the slight flush on his cheeks. “I’ll let you sleep.”

Steve watches him walk away, unable to keep his eyes from tracing the lines of Tony’s body. As Tony rounds the corner to his and Pepper’s suite, he stops and looks back at Steve, and Steve looks away, feeling like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. When he looks back up, Tony’s gone, and Steve doesn’t know how to feel about that. He sighs and heads back inside his room, hoping he’ll be able to get some sleep before going out with Pepper tomorrow.

*

Pepper is a revelation, and Steve’s fascinated by her. She walks through the museum like she’s been there a thousand times before, but she doesn’t complain when Steve pauses and tries to take it all in.

“Tony said you were an artist, before the war,” she says quietly as they stand in front of a Cezanne. “Do you still draw?”

Steve flushes, despite there being no reason for Pepper to know about the sketches he’s been doing. “I have a sketchbook, but I haven’t really—during the war, I couldn’t keep anything big on me, so it was the easiest medium to work with. Now, I don’t even know where I’d start, there’s so many options.”

“Tony’s going to design you a studio,” Pepper says with a smile.

“Oh he doesn’t have to—”

“No, but he will. It’s how he is.”

Steve sighs, rocking back on his heels. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve the fuss,” he says. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but it’s not necessary.”

“Has anyone ever fussed over you? You as Steve?” Pepper asks as they continue walking through the gallery. “I didn’t mean—that was rude, I apologise, don’t answer that.”

She threads her arm through Steve’s and Steve startles at the contact, glancing down at the way her hand is resting over the sleeve of his shirt, the pale pink of her nails a contrast with the deep blue fabric. “I—Miss Potts—”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“No, I—”

“Then call me Pepper, remember?”

When Steve looks at her, the light is hitting her hair, highlighting the golden tone, and he’s taken aback by the sudden heat that floods his body. “Sorry,” he mumbles, feeling like an awkward teenager next to her. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Are you hungry?” Pepper interrupts, changing the subject less gracefully than Steve would’ve imagined her to be able to do.

“Yes, actually,” Steve says after a moment of thought. “Pizza? I assume you can still get a decent slice in the city?”

Pepper laughs, a little too loudly for the museum, and she looks around, skin slightly flushed when people look at them. “Oops,” she says, a sheepish smile crossing her face. “Yes, pizza, sure. I know somewhere.”

The place Pepper knows is a short walk across 89th, cosy and quiet with the owner greeting them at the door. It smells perfect, like the family run places he and the Commandos found themselves in during downtime in Italy.

Pepper shoots him a knowing look as he settles in the booth. “You thought I’d take you somewhere fancy,” she says, picking up her glass of water and taking a sip.

“No, I—isn’t that the kind of place you’re used to?”

“Used to? Yes. Like? Eh.” Pepper makes a seesaw motion with her hand. “There are some places that are worth the money, but I’ve found that the more pretentious a place is, the less likely it is that eating there will be a pleasure. Plus, Tony might have to attempt to keep up appearances with where he goes, but he’ll be the one getting Happy to pull in at Burger King when he’s drunk and on the way back from an event.”

“That... sounds like Tony,” Steve says. “Or at least, what I’ve come to know about him.”

“I think you have a better handle on him than most,” Pepper says as she picks up her menu.

Steve doesn’t know what to say to that.

The food is excellent, Steve eats his way through two pizzas before calling it quits, and he and Pepper step out into the New York air. Somehow the one thing that hasn’t changed is the buzz the city gets after dark, and Steve stands there for a moment appreciating it before someone pushes past him, talking on their phone.

“Familiar?” Pepper asks with a wry smile.

“Very.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I was going to check in on the rebuilding before we head back to the tower. You’re welcome to go back without me if you want, I can call another car if you—”

“No,” Steve says. “No, I’d like to see what’s going on.”

There’s a tiny smile of approval on Pepper’s face as the car pulls up, and Steve hunches his shoulders, not sure what to do with himself.

“Is Stark Industries funding the clean up?” he asks as Happy drives them through the city.

“It’s complicated,” Pepper says. “We are, in coordination with the Federal Government, doing the clean up because of the nature of the attack; having alien technology falling into the hands of regular clean up crews could be a problem, none of us know what the tech is truly capable of. It means a lot of the city clean up crews have lost their contracts, which isn’t ideal, but it was either that or let all of this fall into potentially wrong hands. And I count the government amongst those wrong hands.”

“So if there’s another battle like this, large scale destruction then—”

“Then we’ll be fixing that as well,” Pepper says tiredly. “But give me a few months before you go blowing up New York again, please. We’re barely recovering from this last one. SHIELD originally founded the organisation, Damage Control, but Tony decided to buy them out with the Government, make the clean up more public, more official. He thinks it reassures people.”

“Does it?”

“Remains to be seen.”

Steve nods, and stares out the window at the city passing them by. “You know, I went back to Brooklyn,” he says. “Took a walk to where I used to live.”

“And?”

“And it’s a coffee shop now,” he says with a shake of his head. “Good coffee, though. Overpriced, even for this century, but good.”

“You’re not—”

“It stopped being my home after my ma died,” Steve says. “Spent more time with Bucky’s family, and then I became this. So, no, not all that broken up about it.”

The car pulls to a stop, and Happy gets out to open the door for Pepper. There’s a lot of work going on, and Steve watches as Pepper walks off to meet someone. Leaning against the car, Steve tries to stay out of the way, but one of the workers takes a second look at him and walks over.

“You’re the guy, right? Captain America?”

Steve straightens up and nods. “Yeah, yes. Steve Rogers,” he says, holding his hand out, gratified when the man takes it.

“Carlos,” he says. “Carlos Martinez. You helped save my husband in the battle—”

“We all—”

“No, I heard you gave the order for evacuation of the buildings, if you hadn’t then he wouldn’t be here,” Carlos says. “Thank you.”

“Is he doing okay?” Steve asks. “Did he get injured?”

“No, no, went down into the subway, got out with cuts and scrapes,” Carlos says. “We got lucky.”

“I’m glad.”

“There’s still people in hospital,” Carlos says. “But this city is resilient. We’ll survive. That’s what makes us who we are, right?”

Steve lets out a soft chuckle. “Yes,” he says. “I guess it is.”

“I gotta get back to work, but you should come by again,” Carlos says. “If you’re not too busy.”

“I’ll make time,” Steve says. “Take care, Carlos.”

Carlos casually salutes him, and for once, it doesn’t bother Steve.

“Okay,” Pepper says as she walks up beside him, smoothing her hair down from the hard hat she’d been wearing. “We can go home now.”

“Everything good?”

“It’s running smoothly,” Pepper says, smiling a thank you at Happy as he opens the door for her. “Which is the best I can ask for.”

Steve walks around the car and gets in on the other side. “Is there someone I can talk to about organising hospital visits?”

“Uh, sure, yes,” Pepper says. “I can get someone to contact you, I assume you don’t want press there?”

“Can I do it without them? At least at the start,” Steve says, pressing his fingers along his thighs. “I don’t really know what I can do for people in hospital, but I can listen, I guess.”

“That’s an underrated skill,” Pepper says. “Tony visits the pediatric wards quite often, if you want to join him at one of them, I’m sure he wouldn’t object.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Steve says as they pull up into the underground parking lot of the tower. “Why does he—”

“Kids don’t judge him,” she says. “Or, if they do, they’re honest with him about it. I think he finds it refreshing.”

The elevator takes them all the way up to the living quarters at a speed Steve’s still not entirely comfortable with. Tony’s nowhere to be seen, but there’s some noise coming from the main room that sounds like he’s doing something.

“Tony?” Pepper calls, slipping out of her heels. “We’re back.”

“I’m going to go to bed,” Steve says before Tony can make an appearance, suddenly antsy at the idea of seeing him. “I didn’t sleep much last night—”

“Oh,” Pepper says. “Are you sure? We could—”

“I’m good,” Steve says. “Thank you, for today.”

A smile crosses Pepper’s face and she pushes up on her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, skirting close to the corner of his mouth. “Thank you,” she says softly. “I had a good time.”

Steve’s mouth goes dry, and all he can do is offer her a tight smile in return. “I—sure. Anytime.”

Pepper squeezes his forearm and turns away, walking towards the noise, and Steve watches her go, his fingers coming up to brush against where she kissed him.

He’s confused, but he’s not stupid, and right now all he’s thinking about is how much trouble he’s getting himself into.

*

It’s a warm, hazy sensation that wakes Steve up, his hips rolling against the mattress, cock heavy in his boxers leaking a wet patch against the fabric.

“_Fuck_,” he breathes out against the pillow, arms tucked underneath it. It’s too good of a feeling to ignore, and he keeps going, rutting against the mattress, cock pressing up against his own skin as he moves. Keeping his eyes closed, Steve tries not to think about what’s at the forefront of his mind, images of Pepper and Tony, how Tony’s hands would slide up her legs, how they’d laugh together, how her hands would look wrapped around Tony’s cock.

It’s hopeless, though, it’s all he can think about, his hips jerking as he imagines what it would be like to have Pepper underneath him, Tony’s cock in his mouth, and—.

Steve bites on the pillow as he comes, his entire body on fire with pleasure, overwhelming every one of his senses. After a moment, he rolls onto his back, trying to ignore the sticky mess he’s made of himself, and he runs a hand over his face, blinking up at the ceiling.

“JARVIS? What time is it?”

“08:00, Captain.”

“Thanks.”

Looking down at himself, Steve sighs and peels the sheets off from where they’re tangled around his legs. Standing up awkwardly, he quickly strips the bed of the stained sheets before dumping them in a corner. He takes his boxers off and throws them into the pile as well before he walks into the ensuite. Tony had tried to say it wasn’t much, but there’s a shower big enough to fit three of him in, a separate tub, and more floor space than some apartments, so Steve’s slightly terrified of what exactly Tony’s going to have designed for his floor.

The water comes on as he steps inside, a good amount of pressure that goes some way to clearing his thoughts. Grabbing the shower gel, Steve washes himself quickly, trying not to linger over his skin, just wanting to get himself clean.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to look Tony or Pepper in the eye today.

Getting out of the shower, he wraps a towel around his waist and stares at himself in the mirror. Grabbing his toothbrush, Steve sighs, not sure what to do with himself. “JARVIS? Are—I mean, are Tony and Pepper around?”

“Sir is asleep, and Miss Potts is on her way to Washington DC.”

“Is something going on?” he asks as he brushes his teeth.

“Miss Potts has had this in her calendar for months, Captain Rogers, it’s a meeting with the Zoning Commission regarding the building of additional towers.”

“Oh, okay.” Steve walks out of the bathroom and opens a drawer, furrowing his brow as he looks at the clothes. “JARVIS, how long has Tony been asleep? And does he have anything important to do today?”

“Sir should wake in the next few hours,” JARVIS says. “And there’s nothing on his schedule that cannot be postponed.”

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Steve says, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. “Could you let Tony know I’d like to talk to him when he’s awake? It’s not serious.”

“Of course, Captain.”

Once he’s dressed, Steve heads to the kitchen and switches the coffee maker on, laughing to himself when it starts glowing red and gold. He hasn’t used it since Tony played around with it, and he stands there for a moment, watching it as it casts lights across the kitchen. Shaking his head, he walks over and opens the fridge, grabbing some eggs and vegetables to make an omelette. Putting them on the counter, Steve reaches up and grabs a mixing bowl from the shelf, starting to pull his breakfast together.

Halfway through his second omelet, Tony shuffles into the kitchen, robe wrapped around him and his hair a wreck. “Coffee?” he asks hopefully, hands reaching out.

Steve sighs and gets up, touching Tony on the shoulder and guiding him to a seat. “Hold on.”

“Mmmfph,” Tony says, resting his chin in his hands, elbows on the table.

Shaking his head, Steve fills a mug and pushes it in front of Tony before taking his seat and getting stuck back into his breakfast. “Do you want some food?” he asks after Tony’s drained half a mug.

“Waffles?”

“Are you asking for them or if we have them?”

“Both?” Tony asks, mouth around the rim of his mug as he finishes the rest of the coffee.

“I don’t know how to make waffles,” Steve says, taking the mug and refilling it. “We could go out.”

Tony wraps a hand around the mug and eyes Steve. “For waffles?”

“Yes, Tony,” Steve says, amused. “You can buy waffles. There’s these places called diners.”

“Says the man who was asleep for seventy years.”

“It would work well, actually,” Steve says, ignoring Tony. “I was wanting to ask you if—you said I should get new clothes—”

“I was joking, Steve, if you want to wear clothes that show off your muscles then—”

“Tony.”

“Yes dear?”

“Take me shopping,” Steve says. Tony’s eyebrows raise and Steve shifts, wondering what he’s done wrong this time, if he’s said something out of step.

“Steven, are you asking me to be your sugar daddy?”

“I—what?”

“It’s a thing,” Tony says. “Companionship and sex in exchange for gifts, mostly. Sometimes money. Mostly gifts.”

Steve shakes his head and rubs a hand over his face. “No, Tony, I’m not asking you that, I can—I have a bank account. I don’t know where to shop.”

“Hey,” Tony says, getting up and warily touching Steve’s arm. “I’m teasing. I don’t know when to stop, sometimes. Most of the time, actually. We can shop if you want.”

Steve tries not to lean into Tony’s touch, as much as he wants to. Instead he looks up and offers Tony a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Given how I shop, you might regret thanking me. We’re going to need to get you some suits,” Tony says, tapping Steve on the arm and walking back to the coffee machine. “Tux as well.”

“What? Tony, I don’t need a tux.”

“You’re living with me, and you’re one of the public faces of the Avengers,” Tony says, an apologetic look on his face as he refills his mug. “There’s fundraisers, appearances, the Maria Stark Foundation Gala is coming up, and it’ll be expected that you attend. You don’t have to, but—”

“Captain America sells tickets,” Steve says wearily. “I know.”

“Steve, if you don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to,” Tony says. “Really. Would you being at the Gala help bring in the donors? Yes, but me being, well, me over the years hasn’t driven everyone away, so you not being there won’t change that.”

“No, it’s—” Steve breaks off and shrugs. “It’s not my favourite thing to do, but if I’m going to try and build a life here, then I guess I need to really do it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Tony says before downing the rest of his coffee. “Now, you promised me waffles?”

“I don’t think I promised.”

“Whatever, I want waffles. Put something on other than sweatpants, and wear underwear or else you’ll give Lorenzo a heart attack.”

Before Steve can ask why someone called Lorenzo will be looking at him in his underwear, Tony’s walked out of the kitchen, presumably heading to get dressed. Leaving the dishes in the sink for later, Steve wipes his hands on his sweatpants and heads to his room to get changed.

*

Steve’s not sure what would qualify for the most awkward moment in his life, but having Tony watch him strip to his boxers is certainly up there.

“No stars and stripes?” Tony asks, looking at Steve over his sunglasses.

“I don’t wear themed underwear,” Steve says as Lorenzo runs the tape measure over him.

“We should release Avengers underwear,” Tony says, looking down at his phone. “Help fund the clean up with the proceeds. You want to model them?”

“You’re awfully invested in my underwear,” Steve points out.

“Can’t imagine why,” Tony says mildly. “Lorenzo, he’s going to need a tux along with the suits, and it has to be ready for the Gala.”

Lorenzo straightens up and glares at Tony. “You failed to mention that.”

“I know, I’m terrible,” Tony says with a grin. “I could always call Giorgio instead, he hates that I’ve decided to go local—”

“No, no,” Lorenzo interrupts. “You’ll get the tux.”

“And that’s why I come to you.”

They’re done quicker than Steve thought would be possible, but he guesses that Tony could do this in his sleep. Steve tries not to wince at the total when he signs the slip, but judging from the way Tony smirks at him, he fails. Leaving the store, Steve pauses and looks around. “Where do I go for everything else?” he asks. “I need regular clothes as well.”

“You don’t like wearing Stark Industries clothing?”

“It’s comfortable, but I think people will start asking questions if that’s all I’m seen wearing,” Steve says, adjusting his baseball cap as they walk along the block.

“What did you wear before all this?”

Steve looks at Tony, trying to read what he means by the question, but there’s nothing other than honest curiosity on his face. “Regular clothes, pants, shirts, suspenders. What I did have, I had to take care of, that’s how I learnt to sew.”

“You can sew?”

“Haven’t tried it in a while, but I probably still could.”

Tony offers him a smile and nods absently. “So you’ve never felt really good fabric, I’m guessing?”

“I guess not.”

“I saw your face when you paid for the suits, are you going to object if I take you somewhere expensive?”

“Everywhere’s expensive to me,” Steve says with a wry smile. “But I’ve been told that’s what my back pay is for, so—”

“We’ll get you accustomed to my lifestyle in no time,” Tony says as they walk towards the car where Happy’s waiting.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Steve mutters under his breath.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur, it’s a whirlwind introduction to Tony’s lifestyle and Steve, well, he doesn’t hate it, but he’s thinking that has more to do with Tony himself rather than being able to walk into a store and buy whatever he wants. Steve’s loaded down with bags, more clothes than he can ever imagine wearing, but there had been a certain beauty in watching Tony move through the stores, picking out what he thought would look good on Steve.

Tony would throw t-shirts, jeans, and shirts at him and wouldn’t answer questions about the cost, instead telling Steve to concentrate on the fabric, running his own hands over it with a gleam in his eyes.

“Dinner?” Tony asks when they make it back to the tower. “You must be hungry?”

“I’m almost always hungry,” Steve says as he drops the bags outside his room. “Side effect of the serum.”

“Indian food? Have we tried that on you yet?”

“I tried some while I was staying at SHIELD,” Steve says with a shrug. “I liked it.”

“Well, it’s not Pepper’s favourite, so we’re ordering it. JARVIS?”

“I’ve put in your regular order with Spice Symphony, sir.”

“Thanks, J.”

Steve leans against the wall, feeling somewhat awkward. He guesses he could occupy himself if Tony has other things to do, but he doesn’t want to be away from Tony, not unless—. “What are you going to do now?” he asks. “I mean—”

“I was going to head to the workshop,” Tony says. “But if you—I have a few cars we could take apart, if you want.”

“I’d like that,” Steve says. “Your dad had a flying car, you know.”

“He had a car that attempted to fly,” Tony shoots back with a small smile. “You think I haven’t looked at those plans?”

“Can you make it work?”

“I—do you _want_ a flying car?”

“Why? Would you build me one?”

“Yes,” Tony says instantly.

Steve’s eyebrows raise, and he watches as a light flush travels over Tony’s cheeks. Part of Steve wants to reel Tony in and kiss him, find out if he’s flushed anywhere else, but—he can’t. He _can’t_.

“I—” Tony pauses. “Cars. We should—”

“I’ll meet you down there,” Steve says. “I need to unpack some of this, get changed.”

“Sure, sure, I’ll—bye, Steve.”

Steve wouldn’t say Tony runs away, but it’s awfully close. “JARVIS? What was that?”

“I wish I could tell you,” JARVIS says, almost sounding exasperated with his creator’s behaviour.

*

There’s music blaring by the time Steve makes it down to the garage, and Tony’s already elbow deep in an engine, screwdriver between his teeth as he frowns at something on the holoscreen. JARVIS lets Steve in, and he watches Tony for a moment, taking in the grease smeared on his arms, the way the tank top he’s wearing has ridden up slightly, exposing the curve of his lower back. Steve swipes his tongue over his lower lip and takes a few steps forward. “Tony?” he raises his voice to be heard and Tony turns his head from where he’s crouched on the ground.

Taking the screwdriver out of his mouth, Tony flashes a quick smile at him. “Good timing,” he says. “I need you to lift this.”

“Lift—”

“The car,” Tony says, getting to his feet. “I want to look underneath it, but you’re here so using a jack seems pointless and—”

Steve shakes his head and reaches down to grip the base of the car. Bracing himself, he lifts the car up, pleasantly surprised by how light it feels. “Go on,” he says, looking at Tony, who is just standing there staring at him with his mouth open. “Tony?”

“I, uh, yes,” Tony says. He gets on the roller and slides himself underneath the car. “Is that even taking an effort from you?” he asks. “Or is it like lifting me up?”

“I—” Steve pauses, mind suddenly racing with visions of all the ways he could lift Tony up, how he could hold him against a wall and—.”

“Steve?”

“It’s lighter than I thought it would be,” Steve says, hurriedly. “Did you build it?”

“Yeah,” Tony says, sliding out. There’s a new smear of grease on his forehead and Steve’s glad he’s still holding the car up because he can barely suppress the urge to wipe it off. “You can put it down,” Tony says. “I found out what I needed to know.”

“Oh, okay,” Steve says, carefully lowering it down. He wipes his hands on the front of his shirt and smiles when Tony winces. “What?”

“We just bought you those.”

“And therefore they’re mine to do with as I please,” he says, raising an eyebrow at Tony. “You said you built it?”

“Eh, yeah. It’s more of a play project than anything else,” Tony says as he gestures to the engine. “The frame is my attempt at vibranium, doesn’t match it at all, but for what it is, it’s okay. Could be better.”

“And the engine?”

“Was basic electric and now I’m seeing if I can get it to run off the same tech that powers the tower.”

“Which also powers the suits, right? The arc reactor?”

“So you do pay attention,” Tony says, looking up from the holoscreen.

“You’re always interesting,” Steve says quietly, not sure what he should say. “I mean—I pay attention.”

Tony’s eyes are fixed on Steve, and Steve suddenly gets why he’s always wearing sunglasses when he’s out of the tower; Tony’s eyes give away everything he’s feeling, and right now Steve doesn’t know how to deal with the outright fascination Tony’s displaying. Some part of him wants to run away, but a bigger part of him wants Tony to see him like this all the time.

The music’s still blaring, but it fades into the background as Steve meets Tony’s gaze, not breaking it, and this—Steve knows what playing with fire feels like, knows that he’s awfully close to crossing a line, and then—.

He’s not the one who crosses it.

Tony’s mouth is on his and Steve just melts into the kiss. It feels like coming home, like what he’s been waiting for since he woke up, and he hates himself for it because—.

He breaks the kiss, hands pulling away from where they’d been sliding underneath Tony’s tank top, and—.

“What?” Tony asks, his fingertips brushing over his slightly swollen lips as he stares at Steve. “Why did—”

“Pepper,” Steve says, hands clenching by his side to stop himself from reaching out for Tony. “I can’t—you’re—”

“You think we can’t do this because I’m with Pepper?”

“You’re not a cheater, Tony. And I don’t want to be in that position. I like Pepper.”

“How much?” Tony asks, taking a few steps closer.

“What do you—”

“How much do you like her?” Tony asks. He’s right in front of Steve now, so close that Steve could count his eyelashes, and he’s not letting up. “Do you like her like you like me? Do you want to kiss her like you kissed me? Run your hands up her legs and—”

“Stop,” Steve says. His back hits a wall, and he closes his eyes, trying to control his reactions to Tony’s words. “Why are you—”

“Steve, hey,” Tony says, his voice softer, apologetic. His fingers brush against Steve’s cheek and Steve lets out a sigh. “Open your eyes for me, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—_fuck_, I’m screwing this up.”

Steve’s eyes open and he furrows his brow. “Screwing what up?”

“Uh.” Tony takes a few steps back and scrunches his face up. “So, it’s possible that, well. Pepper and I, we. We want to date you?”

Steve’s fairly certain his brain shorts out at that. “What?”

“God, I am so not the one to do this, Pepper and I, we were gonna talk to you, explain, but you just—you were looking at me and I wanted to, so I—”

“Tony,” Steve interrupts, holding his hand up. “Can you explain? Please?”

“We want you,” Tony says bluntly. “Both of us, you—you’re our missing thing, not that. You’re not a thing, I’m explaining this wrong. Pepper and I, we like you. A lot. And we’d like you to be part of our relationship.”

“For sex.”

“Not just—I mean, yes, both of us are wildly attracted to you and I’ve wanted to climb you like a tree since I realised what my dick was for, but it’s not just that. If we only wanted that, we wouldn’t be risking our friendships with you.”

Steve nods uncertainly. “And Pepper, she—

“She’s in this, completely,” Tony says. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

“I trust you,” Steve says. “I just—” he breaks off and swallows. “I do like you both, like that. I—I’m attracted to you both. I didn’t mean to be, but. I don’t know what to do, here. With what you’re telling me.”

“That’s okay,” Tony says. “I get that. I—look, Pepper will be back late tonight, do you want to—breakfast? I can be awake for breakfast, and we could talk? All of us?”

“Okay,” Steve says, eyeing the way Tony is holding himself carefully like he’s scared to touch him. “Don’t treat me like a skittish animal, Tony, I’m not going to run away.”

“Wouldn't blame you if you did.”

“No, I—” Steve shakes his head. “Can we watch a movie? Upstairs? Eat dinner?”

“You want to?”

“Tony—”

“I’m just checking,” Tony says, holding up his hands. “If you want to go and sit in your room and ignore me until Pepper gets back, then that’s okay.”

Steve rolls his eyes, feeling somewhat more comfortable now. “What I want is to watch a movie with my friend and eat some food. If you want to join me.”

“Yeah, Steve,” Tony says, offering him a small smile. “I want to join you.”

*

Steve takes a long time getting to sleep that night. Watching the movie with Tony had been enlightening. Tony had kept himself to one side of the couch until Steve had rolled his eyes and lifted his arm up; he hadn’t known what to make of the look on Tony’s face, but eventually Tony went with it. Having Tony under his arm felt—it felt natural. They hadn’t done anything else, just watched the movie and idly talked about inconsequential matters, and then headed to bed. Steve heard Pepper come home, her feet padding by his door as she tried to be quiet, and he wonders if Tony had still been awake, if he’d drawn Pepper into a conversation about the kiss, about what they want with him.

He doesn’t know how to think about it, the idea of wanting two people at the same time, people in a relationship with each other. Steve wonders where he fits in this, even with Tony telling him it’s not just for sex, he doesn’t see what he could bring to their lives. He’s not—he hasn’t had relationships, he doesn’t know how to—.

Rolling over, Steve buries his face in a pillow and groans with frustration.

He hates not knowing what to do.

*

Morning comes far too soon for his liking, the alarm he asked JARVIS to set waking him up with a start. After running through his morning routine, Steve showers and pulls on some casual clothes that he picked up with Tony yesterday and, god. It doesn’t feel like it was only yesterday. Fixing his hair, Steve tries not to think about just how many times he’s had his world turned around since he woke up from the ice. He wonders if maybe there had been some merit to the suggestion from SHIELD that he find someone to talk to, but.

He’s fine.

He is.

When he gets to the kitchen, Pepper’s already there making french toast, and he pauses in the doorway. “Morning,” he says quietly.

She turns around, a soft smile on her face. “Why are you lurking in the doorway? Come in, chop some vegetables for the omelettes.”

Having been given a task to do, Steve steps forward and picks up the knife; looking at the assortment of vegetables on the counter, he takes a pepper and starts to slice it. “How was DC?”

“The usual. Paperwork, frustration, meetings,” she says. “The daily life of a CEO.”

“Sounds repetitive.”

“It can be, but when I really feel like punching someone out, I think of the good we’re doing. It helps.”

Steve nods as he reaches for some mushrooms, quickly dicing them. “Was Tony awake when you got in?”

“He was.”

“Okay.”

Pepper pauses where she’s soaking the bread in the egg mixture and nudges him with her elbow. “Yes, he told me,” she says. “Stop acting like I’m going to stab you with my fork.”

“I don’t—this is all new for me,” Steve says staring down at the pile of diced mushrooms he’s managed to make. “Not the situation with you and Tony, but relationships in general, I never—”

“Steve, I’m the first person Tony’s dated that’s lasted more than two months since he left college. My love life while I was his PA, well. Let’s just say there’s only so many times you can ditch a partner because your boss has ended up drunk somewhere before they give up on you. However new you think you are to relationships, you’re not that far behind Tony and I, okay?” Pepper touches his arm lightly. “Tony will be down soon, why don’t you get the coffee started?”

The coffee maker still lights up red and gold, and Steve stares at it with a slight smile on his face before he reaches up to get some mugs down. Pausing with two mugs in his hands, he turns to Pepper. “Do you want coffee? I’ve never actually seen you drink coffee.”

“Don’t really like coffee that much,” she says, wrinkling her nose as the french toast sizzles in the pan. “If I’m going to have it, I want it with flavours and a lot of sugar, which is too much effort to go to when I’m home. I made myself tea instead.”

“Huh,” Steve says, putting the mugs for himself and Tony down on the counter. “I got used to drinking it black during the war,” he says, watching the coffee maker run. “Before the serum, I couldn’t drink coffee, and afterwards the caffeine didn’t affect me, but it was something to do. I like sweet things, though.”

“We’ll play at Starbucks one day,” Pepper says. “It’ll be a whole new world for you.”

Steve’s about to respond when he hears footsteps coming down the hall and he turns to face the doorway just as Tony walks in. Tony’s got a robe on, his hair sticking up in all directions, but he’s more awake than Steve’s ever seen him in the morning before.

“Hi,” Tony says as he walks in, pushing up on his tiptoes to kiss Steve’s cheek before walking over to Pepper and doing the same. “Is this actual food?” he asks, as Steve glances over at Pepper.

“French toast, and omelettes to come,” Pepper says. “Go get your coffee.”

“You don’t want my help?”

“Actually, I still have nightmares about that omelette you made me, so no, I don’t want your help.”

Tony laughs as he walks over to Steve, taking the mug from him, their fingers brushing, and he sits down at the table. “Okay. I could get used to this.”

“Used to what?” Steve asks before taking a sip from his own mug.

“Two gorgeous blondes waiting on me hand and foot.”

Steve exchanges a look with Pepper and she shakes her head with a fond smile before she lightly smacks Tony with the dishcloth draped over her shoulder. “Don’t scare Steve,” she says.

“Am I scaring you?” Tony asks, looking over at Steve, eyes wide, framed by dark lashes, and Steve’s hands itch for a pencil to capture the way Tony looks right now, all sleep ruffled and comfortable. “Steve? Did I break you?”

“No,” Steve says after a moment. “Not broken, not scared, just—confused, I guess.”

“Anything in particular?” Tony asks as he takes a large gulp of his coffee.

“What do you want from me?” Steve asks, looking between Pepper and Tony. “Not—I know what you—I just don’t know what I can add to your relationship.”

“Do you trust us?” Tony asks, his fingers tapping against his mug. “Not individually, but us as a couple, do you trust us?”

“I—” Steve breaks off and shrugs. “That’s a lot to ask.”

“It is,” Pepper says, putting a plate full of french toast in the middle of the table and sitting down at the table. “Don’t think that you need to answer,” she says. “Come, sit down.”

Steve takes the seat next to Tony, Pepper sitting at Tony’s right, and Steve doesn’t—his heart is racing in a way that it hasn’t since he got the serum, and he doesn’t know what to do. Clutching his mug, he looks at the table, not wanting to look at either Pepper or Tony for fear of seeing what’s on their faces. “I want to trust you, but I just—I need to know.”

“You’re—God I don’t know how to—” Tony cuts himself off and reaches for Steve’s hand, threading their fingers together. “Steve, we wouldn’t ask for this if it weren’t a serious thing. If we wanted someone just for a night then it would be easy to do, but you—you’re special. Not because of the serum, but you. Everything that you are away from Captain America.”

Steve looks up, the words sinking into his skin, and meets Tony’s eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, and it kills me that you can’t see that it’s not the shield that makes you special,” Tony says, squeezing Steve’s hand. “Pep?”

“Uh.” Pepper swallows the mouthful of french toast she had in her mouth and takes a drink of tea. “Sorry, hungry,” she says with a small smile. “I really love spending time with you, Steve. I don’t know if that’s what you want to hear, but you’re funny, intelligent, and we can talk about art. And yes, I’m attracted to you, but like Tony said, if it were just about that then we could get any pretty young thing in our bed. You—” she breaks off and furrows her brow. “I think that you balance us, which makes it sound like we’d be using you, and that’s not what I—”

“What would you get from us?” Tony asks, interrupting Pepper. “Because you seem to want this, but we don’t want to push you.”

“I do want this, I—both of you,” Steve says. “I didn’t know I could have both of you, I didn’t know it was an option, so I’m—” Steve shakes his head and sighs. “It’s an adjustment.”

“But we’re not pushing you?”

“You’re pushing me a little,” Steve says with a smile, squeezing Tony’s hand. “But that’s good. You’re both—” he lets go of Tony’s hand and looks at both of them. “Hold on,” he says. “I need to get something.”

Moving quickly, Steve heads back to his room and gets his sketchbook. He pauses outside the kitchen for a moment, leafing through the pages and trying not to lose his nerve about showing some of the more risque drawings to Pepper and Tony. Steeling himself, he walks in and puts his sketchbook down in front of Tony.

“What—Steve?”

“Look through it,” Steve says, walking over to the stove. “I’m going to make omelettes, but you both should—” he breaks off as he takes the eggs out of the fridge. “I think it’ll tell you I want this.”

He busies himself with making omelettes, but can’t help but overhear the murmurs from Tony and Pepper as they look through the sketches. Steve sprinkles some of the mushrooms in the pan as the eggs cook, pausing when he hears a soft gasp fall from Pepper’s mouth. He wonders which sketch they’re looking at, if maybe he should’ve taken out some of the—. Shaking his head, he puts that thought out of his mind, if they’re going to do this, then he needs them to know that he wants this, more than anything he’s wanted since he woke up.

“Steve,” Tony says, breaking into Steve’s thoughts. “Is this—do you really want this?”

“I thought the sketchbook would make that clear,” Steve says with a small smile, feeling slightly more sure of himself when he sees the looks on both their faces. “I do want this,” he says. “You’ve both made me feel at home in this century, you’ve brought me into your lives. I didn’t expect to feel this way about you both, but I got this far by trusting my gut. I want to try this.”

“This, specifically?” Tony asks, holding up the sketchbook and raising an eyebrow. “Because I don’t know if I’m that flexible anymore.”

Steve feels his cheeks flush, the sketchbook open to a drawing of him fucking Tony; Tony’s legs are almost behind his head, and Pepper’s sitting on Tony’s face, her head tipped back as Tony eats her out, and Steve—. “We can make adjustments,” he says, turning back to the omelettes, sliding one out of the pan and onto a plate. “Though maybe you should take up yoga.”

Pepper laughs as Steve brings the omelette over and puts it in front of her. “We’re going to have fun with you,” she says. Before Steve can react, she’s pulling on his shirt, and he goes with it. Pepper kisses like she does everything else, methodical, thoughtful, with a sharp edge that has Steve tangling his fingers through her hair, holding her in place. He can hear Tony swearing and Steve can’t help but smile, which breaks the kiss, leaving Pepper breathing heavily, staring up at him. “Yep,” Pepper says, brushing her fingers over his mouth. “Fun. A lot of fun.”

*

The most surprising part of this for Steve is that there’s no real change aside from that he now has permission to touch, to kiss, to slide his hands underneath clothing and push his own boundaries a little further each time. He keeps his own room, and he hasn’t—they’re not having sex yet. Not that Steve doesn’t want to, because he does, he’s waited long enough for someone to want him like that, and now he has two people, but they haven’t, and he can’t understand why.

Being able to interrupt Tony’s work and drag him to the couch to make out, hot and heavy, both of them hard in their pants is a revelation. Pepper climbing onto his lap and kissing him, his hands exploring the softness of her skin as he unbuttons her shirt after a long day at work is more than Steve ever thought he’d get.

But he wants more, and he knows Tony and Pepper must know that, but they’re not pushing him, and he’s not—Steve needs to ask for it. He knows that. He’s just not entirely sure how.

Steve doesn’t think he’s ever been this sexually frustrated in his life.

*

“Are we ever going to have sex?”

“I—” Tony turns around from the holoscreen and looks at Steve. “Yes?”

“Sorry, I just—” Steve breaks off and looks down at his sketchbook. “I don’t know what we’re doing here.”

Tony walks over, climbing on Steve’s lap, winding his hands behind Steve’s head. “We can do whatever you want,” he says, fingers playing with Steve’s hair. “I guess that Pepper and I were concentrating so hard on making sure you knew we weren’t using you for sex that we, uh, forgot? Which, who knew I could forget about sex?”

“Tony,” Steve says, running his hands up Tony’s thighs. “We don’t have to do anything right now, I just wanted to—”

“Make sure you were going to get laid?”

“When you put it like that it sounds so crass.”

“Eh, you’re in your twenties, and you’re a super soldier, you must be jerking it daily,” Tony says.

Whatever Steve would say in response is lost as Tony leans down and kisses him; it’s still so new, being able to kiss Tony like this, to experience the slight rasp of Tony’s facial hair against his skin, the low groan that Tony lets out when Steve’s hands tighten on his hips. Tony’s ass grinds down against Steve’s rapidly hardening cock, and Steve doesn’t know what he wants, he only knows he wants Tony like this, for as long as possible.

“Can I—” Tony rocks up onto his knees, his fingers fumbling at the waistband of Steve’s sweatpants, pushing them down just enough to get Steve’s cock out. “Yeah,” Tony breathes out against Steve’s mouth.

“I want—you as well,” Steve says, his hands already pushing Tony’s pants down, and then he’s got his hand wrapped around Tony’s cock, feeling the weight of it in his hand, and wanting nothing more than to make Tony come.

“Hold on, I—” Tony reaches over and yanks a drawer open, rummaging around until he pulls out a small tube.

Steve watches as Tony squeezes liquid from the tube and reaches down, gasping a little at the slick feel of Tony’s hand on his cock. “Oh _fuck_, Tony.”

“They didn’t have this in the forties, did they?” Tony says, almost sounding smug.

Narrowing his eyes at Tony, Steve grabs the tube from where Tony dropped it and squeezes some out onto his hand before wrapping his hand back around Tony’s cock, laughing when Tony swears loudly. “I’m a quick learner,” Steve says, when Tony shoots a glare at him.

“You—trouble, is what you are,” Tony says, his hips pushing up into Steve’s grip as he continues to work Steve’s cock over. “God, Steve, I—”

The swooshing sound of the doors to the workshop opening catches Steve’s attention, and he turns his head to see Pepper standing there. “Uh—”

“Well,” Pepper says, shedding her suit jacket, draping it over a work table and walking over. “This is quite a welcome home.”

“Hi Pep,” Tony says, tilting his head as she kisses his cheek in greeting. “Steve wanted to know when we were going to—_oh god_—have sex.”

Pepper sits next to Steve, leans in and kisses him, and he can’t help but sink into it, her tongue playing softly against his, and Steve—the combination of Tony’s hand on him and Pepper around him is too much; his orgasm comes like a punch to the gut, and he’s crying out against Pepper’s mouth, his cock twitching in Tony’s hand.

Pulling away from the kiss, Steve tips his head back, staring at the ceiling and trying to catch his breath.

“Feeling kind of neglected here,” Tony says, a hint of amusement in his tone, and Steve looks down, realises he’s still got a loose hand wrapped around Tony’s cock. “Not that watching the two of you make you wasn’t mindblowingly hot, but—”

Steve cuts him off with a kiss, tightening his grip on Tony’s cock slightly and stroking him. It’s not hard to learn what Tony likes best, and Steve takes note of every little gasp, every moan that slips from Tony’s mouth, until Tony’s coming, spilling all over Steve’s hand.

“That was—yeah, okay, doing that again,” Tony says, holding a hand out to Pepper and pulling her in close, kissing her softly. “Now,” he says, as Steve watches them. “What can we do for you, Miss Potts?”

Pepper’s sat back on the couch, hitching her skirt up, her fingers brushing over herself through her underwear, and Steve just—he _wants_. Wiping his hand off on the couch, Steve slides his hand up Pepper’s thigh, enjoying the feel of her stockings against his skin. Steve can feel Tony’s eyes on him, and it only makes his pulse race even faster. Gently pushing Pepper’s hand aside, Steve runs the tips of his fingers over her, biting his lip when he hears her sharp intake of breath at his touch.

“Is this—”

“Steve, if you don’t make me come, someone’s going to get hurt,” Pepper says. “_Please_.”

Tony laughs, and Steve turns to look at him. “She’s all yours,” Tony says, holding his hands up.

Making his mind up, Steve sits back on the couch, pulling Pepper onto his lap, her ass pressed up against his half hard cock. Her skirt is bunched up around her waist, and he slides his hand in between her legs, pressing his fingers against her, slowly tracing a pattern over her underwear. Pushing them to the side, he slips a finger inside her, watching her face as he does; Pepper’s eyes flutter shut, her lips slightly swollen, and Steve would swear he can hear her heart pounding in her chest.

“You know,” Tony says, sliding onto the couch next to Steve, resting his chin on Steve’s shoulder. “You could rip them off her, she’s got enough pairs. That way she could keep the stockings on.”

Steve can’t hide what that does to him, and when Pepper nods at him, he uses his free hand to do just as Tony suggested, the delicate fabric coming away easily, leaving Pepper in her garter and stockings. Tony’s nimble fingers are working at the buttons on her shirt, pulling it off her in a well practised move before removing her bra. Steve can’t tear his gaze away from them, and he slowly works another finger inside Pepper as he watches Tony kiss her, his hands roaming all over her skin, fingers teasing her nipples.

Pepper’s practically riding Steve’s fingers, her ass brushing against Steve’s cock with every movement, and he knows he’s leaking precome all over her. Slowly pulling his fingers out of her, Steve lifts them to his mouth, wanting to know how she tastes, and the noise that both she and Tony make at that is worth everything in the world to Steve.

“Can I—” Steve holds Pepper by the hips and moves her slightly until his cock slides right up against her. “I’ve never, but—”

“God, please,” Pepper says, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I’m on the pill, so—”

“He’s clean,” Tony interjects, his hand running down Steve’s chest. “And so are you.”

Pepper rolls her eyes and gives Tony a fond smile before looking at Steve. “That’s how he shows he cares,” she says. “If you’re okay with—”

“Yes,” Steve interrupts. “I’m—yeah.”

“Mind if I take charge a little?”

Steve shakes his head, before loosening the grip he has on her hips; he swallows hard when Pepper reaches down and wraps her hand around his cock, her hands soft where Tony’s had been calloused, and Steve watches her face as she lowers herself onto his cock. Pepper goes slow, and it takes every ounce of control Steve has not to pull her down, to bury himself inside her like he so desperately wants to.

“How’s he feel, Pep?” Tony asks, a note of awe in his voice.

“Big,” Pepper says, her voice unsteady. “God, Tony, he feels—_fuck_—so good.”

“Fuck,” Tony breathes out. “Look at you both, you’re better than any fantasy I’ve ever had. Gorgeous, the two of you. Steve, she feels amazing, right? Perfect. Always does.”

“She’s incredible,” Steve manages to get out as Pepper fully seats herself on his cock. “I’ve never felt—” he gets cut off by Tony’s mouth on his, and Steve goes with it. Tony’s kiss is demanding, but soft, and Steve winds a hand through Tony’s hair, tugging at the short strands. “Oh _God_,” he groans into Tony’s mouth when Pepper starts to move, and he breaks the kiss, turning his head to look at her.

There’s a flush all down her body as she moves, and she’s got a hand on herself, fingers occasionally slipping around Steve’s cock when she rises up. Tony reaches over, batting her hand aside as he touches her, and she swears, leaning forward, strands of her hair falling around her face from where she’s had it tied up.

“Come on, baby,” Tony says. “Come for Steve, come for me, you know you want it, show him how good we’re making you feel, show him how good this can be.”

Steve steadies her, his hands stroking over her skin as she rides him, as Tony’s clever fingers work her, and Pepper gasps as she comes, her nails digging into Steve’s shoulders, her thighs shaking as she completely falls apart.

“Fuck her, Steve, trust me, she likes it like this,” Tony says, his mouth dragging against Steve’s skin, fingers tracing where Steve’s still inside Pepper. “Fuck her, come inside her, do it.”

Steve’s completely overtaken by the feel of Pepper tightening around him that all he can do is trust Tony. He grips Pepper’s hips and fucks her, losing himself in her heat, in the words falling from Tony’s mouth, and then Pepper’s kissing him, open mouthed and filthy and it’s all too much for him to be able to hold out any longer. Before he can say anything, he’s coming, his cock pulsing inside Pepper, and it’s beyond anything he ever could’ve imagined.

Breathing heavily into Pepper’s mouth, Steve falls back, his hands still holding Pepper in place, and when he turns his head he’s met with a soft kiss from Tony.

“The two of you are gonna kill me,” Tony says when he breaks the kiss, brushing his lips over Steve’s one more time. “But it’ll be a good death.”

Pepper laughs as she climbs off Steve’s cock, wincing slightly in a way that makes Steve frown. “Did I hurt you?” he asks, eyes running over her instinctively.

“Not in a bad way,” she says with a smile as she joins them on the couch. She pushes her legs over Tony’s lap, her feet resting on Steve’s thigh. “Jesus, I feel like I need a nap after that,” she says, closing her eyes.

“Speaking of naps, or, well, sleep, I guess,” Tony says. “Move in with us.”

“I already live here,” Steve says, just to wind Tony up, rubbing Pepper’s feet.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“I don’t want to push this.”

“You’re not,” Tony says. “If anything, we should’ve done this weeks ago. So move in with us.”

Steve presses his thumb against the arch of Pepper’s foot, smiling to himself when she sighs happily. “Okay,” he says. “Okay.”

“Good,” Tony says, leaning in and brushing their mouths together in a brief kiss. “Hey, Pep, you’ve got a new roommate.”

“Can’t be worse than the one I already have,” Pepper says, raising an eyebrow. “Be warned, Steve, he hogs the blankets.”

Steve laughs at the look of indignation on Tony’s face and, as he listens to them bicker, he can’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> on [twitter](https://twitter.com/starstarked/status/1183792149193777152)
> 
> on [tumblr](https://gotthesilver.tumblr.com/post/188346013577/fic-til-daylight-comes-mcu-stevepeppertony)


End file.
